US drone shot down over Yemen; official blames Iran for supplying missile to Houthis

Yemen's Houthi movement's air defenses on Wednesday downed a United States drone MQ-9 in Dhamar governorate, southeast of the Houthi-controlled capital Sanaa, the group's Al-Masirah TV quoted the group's military spokesman as saying.

CNN reported that an official has said that the US believes that the surface-to-air missile used to shot down the drone was supplied to Houthis by Iran. The official also added that Trump administration plans to publically call out Iran for the incident.

Last June, the U.S. military said Houthi rebels in Yemen shot down a U.S. government-operated drone with assistance from Iran.

The conflict in Yemen began with the 2014 takeover of Sanaa by the Houthis, who drove out the internationally recognized government. In March 2015, the coalition launched its air campaign to prevent the rebels from overrunning the south.

(With inputs from agencies)